Zayn Malik postpones US tour following heartbreaking loss of Liam Payne

Singer Zayn Malik on Saturday postponed a planned tour to the US following the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.

Zayn, said on the social platform X that he made the decision “Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week.”

He said the dates for the US leg of his “Stairway to the Sky” tour would be rescheduled for January and he would post the new dates within the coming days. Zayn had gigs scheduled next week in San Francisco and Las Vegas, and the following week in Los Angeles, Washington DC and New York.

“Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates,” Zayn wrote. “Love you all and thank you for your understanding.”

Liam Payne, 31, was found dead Wednesday after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. His death prompted an outpouring of shock and sadness from friends, collaborators and fellow musicians. Payne's sister Ruth Gibbins was the latest to share her thoughts in an Instagram tribute.

“I don't feel this world was good enough or kind enough to you," she wrote.

She said her brother was “born with music in his veins” and that what she loved most about him was his ability to make her laugh.

The exact circumstances of Payne's death remain unclear although Argentine authorities said there were suspicious elements and drugs were possibly involved. The results of toxicology tests are expected in the coming weeks.

Payne had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism, saying in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.